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Which brand makes the best off road motorbike boots?
Does quality matter that much with motocross boots?
Which brands will last the longest?
Here is our ranking for the best motorbike boot brands.
This is based on hundreds of user's comments collected over 12 months,
and whether the rider was happy or disappointed with their long-term use.
If focuses on comments just within the last few years,
as the quality of some brands appears to have dropped a lot recently.
How reliable are these figures?
Without conducting a huge study with detailed questionnaires it's old a rough guide.
But after talking with dozens of riders worldwide about boots over the past year
I think it's a fair summary.
The Italians have always made superb motorbike boots.
And Gaerne has retained their reputation by keeping their factories within Italy.
Most of the negative comments were centred on a faulty production run a few years ago,
where Gaerne admitted their mistake and replaced faulty boots.
Forma have developed a very good reputation for themselves, especially the Forma Predator boot.
These were an exceptionally good boot when the pricing was so low,
but they have increased the price as their reputation rose.
Years ago Sidi was widely seen as being the equivalent of Gaerne, and a bit cheaper too.
But many have commented about an apparent drop in quality over the years.
A lot of the criticism is centred on their Sidi Crossfire SRS boots which are still made in Italy,
the TA models (Romania) with the stitched sole have
less complaints about still appear to have suffered in recent years.
Alpinestar used to be the market leader years ago with Italian made boots.
But their reputation has slowly been on the decline since production went
offshore to Thailand and Croatia for the Alpinestar Tech 3, Tech 5 and Tech 10.
All off the comments about Fox boots centred on those made in China,
whether it was the Instinct boots or cheaper Comp range.
In Australia, the latest Comp boots are marked made
in Thailand now. Whether this leads to an improvement, time will tell.
What about other brands?
Unfortunately I couldn't get enough comments on other brands to provide reliable feedback.
However, I think there's a strong correlation between quality
and where the boot is manufactured.
Leatt boots? Made in China.
Answer boots? Made in China.
Oneal boots? Made in China.
Fly boots?
Made in China, although their premium Maverick boot is made in Myanmar, of all places.
And TCX appear to make some of their boots in China, some in Romania.
Points to remember?
First, you will find riders who are very happy with cheap Chinese made boots.
They don't always fall apart.
But of course it's a gamble, you may be lucky, you might not be.
Second, how well do those cheap boots protect you when it really counts?
Third, a good boot isn't expensive in the long run.
There are some guys still using Gaerne boots after 10 and even 20 years.
Compare that to your flogged out cheap crap that might only last one season.
And finally, forget the budget range within a given brand, go for their top boot.
Cheap boots have a lot of flexibility built in so they feel comfortable,
but it means less protection.
Premium boots have features like ankle pivot points and extra padding so they
are comfortable and have great protection too.
If you are on a strict budget, I think it's way better to buy
quality boots secondhand instead of Chinese made boots.
Plenty of guys sell them cheap when they realise they don't fit well.
Focus on Gaerne SG10 and SG12, Forma Predator, Sidi Crossfire etc
Much of this is just my opinion of course,
but the feedback from hundreds of owners might help you decide what to buy next.
I'm keen to hear your thoughts.
What has worked for you in the past? What didn't?
Do you think quality matters?
Let us know in the comments.
These guys give me free crap if I say nice things about it.
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